Can You Substitute Milk For Evaporated Milk?

Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 04:42 am

Coming from cows, milk is a yummy drink as well as a staple ingredient in many recipes. It is good for you since it is packed with nutrients. 

Milk contains calcium, phosphorus, B vitamins, potassium, and vitamin D, as well as being an excellent source of protein. As you can see, milk is healthy for you. 

One type of milk is evaporated milk. When used in baking and cooking recipes this milk gives the recipe a lot of flavor and texture because it is thick and sweet. 

Evaporated milk is also used in many recipes, most commonly desserts. If you love to make sweet treats then you have most likely used evaporated milk at one time or another. 

But what if your recipe calls for evaporated milk and you realize you are out of it? Can you use milk instead?

You can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk. Milk is thinner and not as sweet as evaporated milk so you may need to thicken and sweeten it up. It is easy to use milk instead of evaporated milk in a recipe and can be done without too much difficulty. 

Milk is actually a lighter alternative to evaporated milk. Evaporated milk contains a lot more calories, carbs, fat, protein, and calcium than regular milk. So, if you want a healthier ingredient in your recipe, milk is fine to use. 

However, milk isn’t as thick or as sweet as evaporated milk because it has a higher water content. So, when you use milk as a substitute for evaporated milk you will need to add some ingredients to make it thicker and sweeter. 

To thicken the milk, use some flour or cornflour. To sweeten it, use some sugar. When you are subbing milk for evaporated milk for baking, then you will need more dry ingredients and more sugar to mimic the flavor and texture evaporated milk gives a recipe.

How Much Milk Do You Substitute For Evaporated Milk?

If you are already making a baking recipe and realize you are out of the evaporated milk you need, use milk instead. It’s great to know that you can just use milk if you are out of evaporated milk. If you want to cut back on calories, you may even consider subbing the milk for the evaporated milk with all of the recipes that call for it. But by now you’re probably wondering, how much milk do you use when you are subbing for evaporated milk?

To substitute milk for evaporated milk, you will need to use 2 ¼ cups of milk for every one cup of evaporated milk. To help the milk become the same consistency and give your recipe the flavor and texture that evaporate milk would, add in some flour/corn flour and sugar.

According to The 12 Best Substitutes for Evaporated Milk by Healthline, “…if you have simply run out of evaporated milk, it is very easy to make it from regular milk at home…To make 1 cup (240 ml) of evaporated milk…Heat 2 1/4 cups (540 ml) of regular milk in a saucepan over medium heat…Let it come to a gentle boil while stirring continuously…After 10 minutes, or once the milk has reduced in volume by a bit more than half, take it off the heat…It can be used like regular evaporated milk and is nutritionally similar…Additionally, if you are lactose intolerant you can use lactose-free milk.” 

When you run out of evaporated milk, don’t worry! Just use milk with a couple ingredients added in as a substitute.

What Is The Best Substitute For Evaporated Milk?

Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated milk. It is canned, shelf-stable and usually made of 2% milk. 

I have already covered that milk can be used in recipes instead of evaporated milk. This is perfect for those who don’t want all the calories that are in evaporated milk. 

We also know that you can use any type of milk and so if you are lactose intolerant you can use nut milks so you can enjoy the dessert, too. So, what are the best substitutes to use for evaporated milk?

The best substitutes for evaporated milk are regular milk, non-dairy milk, half and half, heavy cream, and powdered milk. All of these ingredients can be used when a recipe calls for evaporated milk.

You can pretty much use any kind of milk instead of evaporated milk with a little tweaking. Half and half, heavy cream and powdered milk can also be used as subs for evaporated milk.

Ultimately as long as it’s a type of milk you can substitute it for evaporated milk. You just have to adjust the quantity that you use and will likely have to sweeten and thicken it before adding it to your recipe. 

Final Thoughts

As we conclude, we started out with the question, “can milk be substituted for evaporated milk?”. The answer to that question is yes, it can! 

If you are in a pinch and are out of evaporated milk for your recipe, you can use regular milk instead with some flour or cornflour for thickness and sugar for sweetness. There are even some other ingredients like half and half, heavy cream and powdered milk that can be used for evaporated milk as well. 

Evaporated milk is a canned and highly concentrated milk that is usually 2% milk and any type of milk can be used as a sub for evaporated milk including non-dairy, nonfat (skim) or 2% milk. If you are using milk, follow the tips mentioned in this article on how to sub it for evaporated milk in recipes. 

By using regular milk and some add-ins, your recipe will feature the same flavor and texture as if you had used evaporated milk.